City of Oshawa 2026 Budget
Official title: 2026 Budget
Why This Matters
Live in Oshawa? Your property taxes are going up. The city portion rises 1.97%, but the Region of Durham is adding 6.5% on top. That's real money when groceries and housing costs are already squeezing budgets. The budget also decides which roads get fixed, how many library hours you get, and whether your neighbourhood park gets upgraded.
What Could Change
Major road reconstruction is coming to Stevenson Road North, Sun Valley area, Meadow Street, and Myers Street. Lakeview Park gets safety and accessibility upgrades. The library won't get a budget increase this year—the McLaughlin Branch already cut Monday evening hours. Security spending stays at $3.3 million across city facilities.
Key Issues
- How should the city balance property tax increases against rising costs and downloading from other governments?
- Which infrastructure projects and services should be prioritized?
- Should funding for external agencies like libraries be increased to keep pace with inflation?
How to Participate
- The budget engagement opportunity has now closed. Community members could share priorities through the Budget Simulator until June 9. The budget has been adopted by Council.
- Review the Budget Fact Sheet to understand how your tax dollars are invested.
What Happened
The 2026 budget has been adopted by Council following community engagement and public delegations. The Budget Simulator collected anonymous feedback from residents on service priorities, which was shared with Council members during budget development.